Quinolones are a class of compounds that are useful as broad spectrum antibiotics, especially for serious systemic infections. Quinolone antibiotics are used to treat infections in both humans and animals. For example, ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, is indicated for the treatment of urinary tract infections, lower respiratory infections, skin and skin suture infections, and bone and joint infections.
In many human and veterinary applications, quinolones may be administered in an aqueous solution. For example, colibacillosis in poultry can be treated by using a stock solution of sarafloxacin, subsequently diluted in the animals' drinking water via a "proportioner". Chickens require a dosage of 20 ppm of sarafloxacin in water, while turkeys require a dosage of 30 ppm. If the stock solution is not properly diluted by the proportioner, the animals may not receive the proper therapeutic dose of the quinolone antibiotic.
Quinolones in solution can be detected and their concentration determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, HPLC is difficult, time consuming, and requires skilled personnel to conduct the assays and interpret the results. HPLC is particularly burdensome when tests must be conducted outside of the analytical laboratory setting, such as on farms.
A more useful approach would be to have a method for determining the concentration of quinolones that is not as complicated and time consuming as HPLC, and that could be used outside of the analytical laboratory. In this way, adjustments in dosages can be accomplished quickly without having to wait overnight or days for results to be returned from the analytical laboratory, at which time the disease condition being treated may have worsened.